The best manga about love triangles

Summary

  • Romantic manga thrives on love triangles, drama and soulful moments.

  • Top series like Kimi ni Todoke, Toradora! and Fruits Basket excel at storytelling.

  • Each manga offers unique elements such as quirky characters, unrequited love, and comedic misunderstandings.

Sometimes love is complicated, especially in love manga series, where love triangles are the order of the day. But that's part of the drama that drives the conflict in these stories, and more often than not, it ends with one of the heroines (or heroes) ultimately prevailing.

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Unless, of course, the infamous harem route kicks in, and then we're embarking on an entirely different genre. But this ranked list highlights only the best love triangle manga series, taking into account art, storytelling, and character development. Let's take a look at them.

8

Kimi ni Todoke: From me to you

A legendary romance manga that inspired a generation of artists

Sawako Kuronuma in Kimi ni Todoke: From Me to You

  • Author: Karuho Shiina

  • Artist: Karuho Shiina

  • Release date: August 11, 2005

Shy and withdrawn Sawako is often bullied because of her resemblance to a horror movie character, but her kind heart longs to feel the touch of love. In this heartfelt story of young love, school days and a love triangle that threatens to destroy everything, the characters evolve in an almost magical way.

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Karuho Shiina's pen draws from personal experience and a long life of crushes and translates into a powerful narrative that has created a cult following, inspiring a whole generation of romance manga artists to follow in his footsteps.

7

Toradora!

One of the best romantic comedies of all time

  • Author: Yuyuko Takemiya

  • Release date: March 10, 2006

Toradora! is a series that so perfectly blends romance, school drama and love entanglements that its plot has become legendary. From the beginning, there is always a third wheel in every relationship; with the two main characters, Aisaka and Ryuuji, forming an alliance to beat the odds and enjoy forever with the person they love.

Little did they know that their unlikely partnership would set in motion a series of events that would involve an elopement, a huge family fight, and some heartbreaking (but memorable) moments.

6

Fruit basket

A strange story about animals and love triangles

Fruits Basket Manga

  • Author: Natsuki Takaya

  • Release date: July 18, 1998

Combining supernatural elements, mystery, love triangles and comedy, Fruit basket is a masterfully developed RomCom that has gained a lot of recognition both in Japan and internationally. It is filled to the brim with heartwarming moments and amorous entanglements.

Some compare it to another similar series Ranma 1/2but the truth is that Fruit basket has its own “naiff” identity that deviates far from the classic made by Rumiko Takahashi.

5

Blue Spring Journey

A story about giving the heart what it desires most

  • Author: Io Sakisaka

  • Release date: January 13, 2011

When Futaba meets her middle school sweetheart after years of being apart, she discovers that he has become bitter, distant and cynical. However, it doesn't happen that she can control her heart, and things get even more complicated when a third wheel appears on the scene, one that has a real interest in the heroine of this story.

Ao Haru Ride is a thrilling RomCom with heavy doses of quirky and heartfelt moments, ideal for those who enjoy a good old fashioned love triangle story.

4

Ouran high school host club

A wonderful comedy full of misunderstandings

  • Author: Bisco Hatori

  • Release date: September 2002

When an elite and impeccable scholar “accidentally” joins the Host Club of the most prestigious school in the prefecture, a series of misunderstandings leads him to form a bond with a rowdy and strange group of friends.

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Things get even more complicated with the introduction of Haruhi, a girl trying to pass as a boy, into an all-boys school. It is considered one of the best love triangle comedies in all shoujo manga series.

3

The peach girl

A passionate drama from the perspective of a schoolgirl

  • Author: Miwa Ueda

  • Release date: September 13, 1997

In this school drama, we witness a young girl's struggle to fit in where a manipulative school queen rules supreme. The story of how Momo tries to get close to Toji while trying to avoid a direct confrontation with Sae is both dramatic and heart-pounding.

This story later develops into one of the most complex and heartbreaking love triangles and a must read for every romantic shoujo fan.

2

Beautiful complex

A quirky love story with a wild twist

  • Author: Aya Nakahara

  • Release date: August 11, 2007

A cute story about the most unlikely and maligned school couple: one is a short withdrawn and grumpy otaku, and the other is a tall and slender school Madonna with a strange personality.

Beautiful complex is both comedy and drama in a heartwarming RomCom about unrequited love, self-acceptance, and overcoming public opinion. With the addition of a dramatic love triangle between the main characters and the third wheel (and sometimes even the fourth), this series is a silly but surprisingly mature school drama.

1

The school rumble

A fantasy school romance with a heavy dose of satirical comedy

School Rumble Manga Cover-1

  • Author: Jin Kobayashi

  • Release date: October 23, 2002

Unrequited love, misunderstandings and the most ridiculous of situations all come together in this wonderful comedy about school life and the shenanigans of a group of friends in the middle of a notorious (and sometimes infamous) love triangle situation.

With a silly and sometimes satirical narrative, Kobayashi has developed a wonderful universe that is both engaging and wholesome, but also dramatic enough to entertain those who seek the thrill of love triangles.

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